The Gift of Blood
Blood is a priceless gift - a lifesaver. Even the best trained medical personnel, using the most advanced equipment, become helpless in the event a patient needs blood and none is available. The gift of blood can only come from another human being... there are no substitutes.
The Need for Regular Donors
(Allogeneic Blood Donor Program)
The need for blood is constant. In Los Angeles County, alone, 1,000 pints of blood are used daily, and many more must be accessible for emergencies. This demand for blood is ever-increasing. Blood supplies are used to treat accident and burn victims, internal bleeding, shock, blood deficiency diseases, and for surgeries. Regular blood donors ensure a fresh supply of blood is available, when needed. Blood may be donated as often as every eight weeks.
Who is Eligible to Donate?
- Those persons, aged 17 or older.
- Individuals weighing at least 110 lbs.
- Healthy people with no history of hepatitis.
How to Donate
Donating blood is quick and simple, requiring only about half an hour in the comfort of Torrance Memorial's Blood Donor Center. The body replaces this volume quickly, in about a day.
Call Torrance Memorial's Blood Donor Center for an appointment. If you are on a prescribed medication, be sure to mention this when arranging your appointment, and remember to eat before arriving at the center.
What Happens to Your Donation
Several patients benefit from the pint of blood you donate.
Your donation can be refrigerated and used as whole blood for transfusions, or it can be separated into its components - platelets (a clotting factor), red cells, plasma, and other derivatives.
These components can be used in the treatment of numerous conditions, such as anemia, burns, shock and to control bleeding.
Whole blood and red cell concentrates can be refrigerated and stored from 35 to 45 days, while platelets, used to control bleeding, last only five days. Plasma can be frozen for one year.
The relatively short shelf life of blood requires constant replenishment of the supply.
Large Group Program
Large groups are also welcome at Torrance Memorial's Blood Donor Center, including those interested in donating in the name of a patient or former patient, or in the memory of a friend or relative.
For further information on any of these programs, please call the Blood Donor Center at 310-517-4647.
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